Methods and apparatus for flanging hygienic medium applicator tubes



April14, 1970 J. A. voss ET AL 3,505,931

METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR FLANGING HYGIENIC MEDIUM APPLI CATOR TUBES Filed July 5. 1968 s Sheets-Sheet 1 I 52 1 94 I 5? a 90 53 "-:ii| 1 :I'

J05EPH ,i fi s BY C'AZL W JOHA/50A/ FRASER Bosvckl J. A. VOSS ET AL METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR FLANGING HYGIENIC April 14, 1910 3,505,931

MEDIUM APPLICATOR TUBES Filed July 5. 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.

0424 m J0/L/A/50A/ FRASER zf'fioquckl ATTOEA/EVS April 14, 1970 J. A. voss ET AL 3, ,9

. METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR FLANGING HYGIENIC MEDIUM APPLIGATOR TUBES Filed July 5. 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Q Q IE": 31 Em &

mvsmons. JQGEPH A. V053 CAEL W JOHNSfl/V FPASER Bogocm A T70EA/EV5 United States Patent 3 505,931 METHODS AND APEARATUS FOR FLANGIN G HY GIENIC MEDIUM APPLICATOR TUBES Joseph A. Voss, 1223 Race St., Apt. 902, Denver, Colo.

80206, and Carl W. Johnson, Neenah, Wis.; said Johnson assignor to said Voss Filed July 5, 1968, Ser. No. 742,808 Int. Cl. B31f 1/00, 7/00 US. Cl. 93-36 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Methods and apparatus are disclosed for forming an inwardly-directed flange on an end of a laminated paper tube structure utilized as the inner, hygienic mediumejectiug tube of an hygienic medium applicator device. The tube is held solely about its exterior surface while a spinning roller assembly is brought into engagement with the tube end. Through the spinning roller assembly, a force is exerted on the tube end in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tube. As a result, the tube end folds inwardly to form the flange.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the fabrication of hygienic applicator devices and particularly to apparatus and methods for flanging the ends of thin-walled laminated paper tubes employed in such devices.

Hygienic medium applicator devices such as tampon applicators typically comprise an outer tube containing the tampon in a forward portion thereof and a tamponejecting element in the rear portion behind the tampon. The tampon-ejecting element often is in the form of an inner tube slideably received, in telescoping fashion, within the outer tube. During use of the applicator device, the outer tube is securely gripped by the user and the index finger placed over the rear extremity of the inner tube. Pressure applied to the rear extremity of the inner tube by means of the index finger advances the inner tube to thereby eject the tampon from the applicator.

Normally, some resistance will be encountered during the ejection of the tampon as a result of friction between the inner and outer tubes and between the tampon and outer tube, and so forth. Notwithstanding the fact that the aggregate resisting force is small, if the rear extremity of the inner tube has a sharp edge, this may cause some discomfort to the user; this problem, of course, is more pronounced when applicator tubes having very thin walls are utilized, such as those disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 726,522 of the present inventors filed May 3, 1968 and entitled Laminated Tube Structure and Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Same.

To solve the foregoing problem, the force applied to the rear extremity of the inner tube can be distributed over a larger area by flanging the tube end to provide a more comfortable surface against which the finger is pressed. The flange also serves to strengthen the tube by increasing its resistance to deformation under finger pres sure and a substantially constant, low level of frictional drag between inner and outer tubes is thus maintained. An added advantage of the flange is that it guards against the possibility of the users finger sliding inside the tube.

One well-known technique for providing an inwardlydirected flange on the end of a thin-walled, paper tube is to telescope the tube over a closely fitting, tube-supporting mandrel having a shaped end, with the tube portion to be flanged extending therefrom. Rollers, having outer surfaces profiled to conform to the shape of the mandrel end, are brought into engagement with the projecting 3,505,931 Patented Apr. 14, 1970 tube end and simultaneously translated about the tube end and toward the mandrel to fold the tube end over the mandrel. The rollers are then retracted and the flanged tube is drawn off the mandrel.

Although the foregoing is normally a satisfactory flange-forming technique, certain manufacturing problems arise when an attempt is made to fashion an inwardlydirected flange on one end of a tube whose other end has already been considerably reduced in diameter.

Thus, for example, referring to US. Patent Nos. 3,204,635 and 3,358,354, issued to the inventors herein on Sept. 7, 1965, and Dec. 19, 1967, respectively, and application Ser. No. 690,001, filed by the present inventors on Dec. 12, 1967, and entitled Applicators for Catamenial Devices, an inner, hygienic medium applicator tube is disclosed, along with methods and apparatus for fabricating the same, in which the forward portion of the tube is provided with a section substantially reduced in diameter. The problems with respect to the formation of a rear flange, on a necked-down tube of the kind described in the aforereferenced patents and application, stem from the fact that some sort of collapsible tube-supporting mandrel, having a sufficiently small diameter in the collapsed condition, must be used in order to move the tube on and off the mandrel.

It thus appeared that it would be much more desirable if the internal tube-supporting means could be eliminated entirely from the flange-forming operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a flange on a thin-walled, laminated paper tube is provided in which the tube is held solely about its exterior surface and a force is exerted, in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tube, against a portion of the rear edge of the tube and simultaneously translated about the rear edge. In this manner, the tube end is caused to fold or crimp inwardly thereby forming the desired flange.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to apparatus for forming the inwardly-directed flange on the end of the tube. According to one, specific, exemplary embodiment of the apparatus, a sleeve is provided for snugly holding the inner tube about its exterior surface and includes a shaped plug for engaging the reduced diameter forward section of the tube so as to position the tube longitudinally within the sleeve with the rear extremity of the tube projecting from the sleeve.

The formation of the flange is accomplished by a pair of spaced, right circular cylinder rollers symmetrically disposed on either side of the longitudinal tube axis. The rollers are mounted for idling rotation about an axis which lies perpendicular to and intersects the longitudinal axis of the tube. The rollers are carried by a head coupled to a motor for rotation about the longitudinal tube axis. With the rollers brought into engagement with the rear extremity of the tube and the roller head simultaneously spun by the motor, the tube end crimps or folds under the force exerted by the rollers to form the flange. The operation is complete when the rollers come into contact with the edge of the tube-supporting sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section view of a catamenial tampon applicator device including an inner, tampon-ejecting tube fabricated in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an apparatus for flanging the rear extremity of tampon-ejecting tubes such as that depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, partially in cross section, of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, of the apparatus of FIG. 3 as taken along the plane 44; and,

FIG. 5 is a plan view, partially in cross section, of a portion of an alternative embodiment of the apparatus for automatically forming flanges on the rear extremity of tampon-ejecting tubes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION By way of example, this description will be limited to catamenial applicator devices for the insertion of tampons. It will be understood, however, that the invention has broader utility, being equally applicable to hygienic medium devices such as suppository applicators and the like and the appended claims are intended to encompass all such equivalent devices.

Referring to FIG. 1, a catamenial tampon applicator device is shown. The device 10 includes an elongated, outer tube 12 which has a relatively thin wall and is preferably in the form of a laminated tubular structure of the kind disclosed in detail in copending application Ser. No. 726,522 filed by the present inventors on May 3, 1968 and entitled Laminated Tube Structure and Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Same. Because of its thin wall, the tube 12 may be subject to deformation when grasped by the fingers during use of the device. The tube 12 is therefore provided with a reinforcing ring 14 mounted about the exterior surface of the tube flush with the rear extremity thereof. The ring 14 serves not only to reinforce the external tube 12, but provides a secure, nonslip gripping means and also facilitates orientation of the applicator to properly direct the ejection of the tampon into the vagina. The tube 12 also includes a tapered forward tip 16 which permits easy and rapid insertion without discomfort or irritation to the user. The tapered tip 16 may be formed, for example, by folding the forward end of a tube blank into a plurality of tightly abutting pleats in the manner disclosed in US. Patent Nos. 3,204,635 and 3,358,354 and copending application Ser. No. 690,001 referenced earlier.

The device 10 also includes a tampon 18 housed in the forward portion of the external tube 12. The forward end 20 of the tampon 18 is tapered to substantially conform to the configuration of the interior of the tapered tip 16. A drawstring 22 is connected to the rear extremity of the tampon 18 and extends rearwardly therefrom.

The applicator 10 further includes tampon-ejecting means, in the form of an inner tube 24 slideably received, in telescoping relation, within the rear portion of the tube 12. The inner tube 24 is provided with a pleated, reduced diameter forward section 26 which may be formed in a manner similar to that mentioned in connection with the tapered tip 16 of the outer tube 12. The reduced diameter forward section 26 eliminates any frictional interference which might otherwise result from burrs or other projections riding in contact with the interior surface of the tube 12. It also precludes any tendency on the part of the tampon material to catch or bind between the adjacent, relatively slideable surfaces of the inner and outer tubes. The inner tube 24 also has an inwardly-directed flange 28 on the rear extremity, the purposes of which have already been discussed.

The tube 24 may be constructed from any suitable material; as explained in greater detail in the aforementioned copending application Ser. No. 726,522 entitled Laminated Tube Structure and Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Same, it may comprise a laminated structure similar to that of the external tube 12.

In accordance with the methods and apparatus fully described in the aforementioned US. Patent Nos.

3,204,635 and 3,358,354 and application Ser. No. 690,001, the reduced diameter forward section 26 of the tube 24 is fabricated by placing a length of tube stock over a closely fitting punch or male die in the form of an elongated shaft having a forward end incorporating the desired reduced diameter configuration. Appropriately configured female folding dies are brought into successive engagement with the end of the tube stock and cooperate with the male die to provide the final, reduced diameter shape. The use of the described die sets greatly facilitates the fabrication of the tubes on an economical, production basis. However, as will be evident, this arrangement precludes the formation of the rear flange 28 until after com pletion of the forward section and makes inconvenient the use of devices engaging the interior wall surface of the inner tube.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, it has been found that an inwardly-projecting flange having the desired shape and size can be formed on the rear end of the internal tube 24 by supporting the tube solely about its exterior surface and exerting a force on the rear edge of the tube in a direction parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tube. No internal support or die means is required, so long as the force vector is directed against the tube edge in parallelism with the longitudinal tube axls.

A specific, exemplary embodiment of flange-forming apparatus is shown in FIGS. 2-4. This apparatus is designed for manual loading and unloading of the tubes 24. Nevertheless, this apparatus incorporates all of the principles of the invention and will serve as an elementary example thereof.

The apparatus of FIGS. 24 includes a platform 30 supporting at one end a swivel turret 32 in the shape of a cylinder. The turret 32 is attached to the platform 30 by, and swivels about, a pivot bolt 42 extending upwardly through the platform 30 into the turret 32 along its central, vertical axis. The turret 32 is provided with a radially projecting handle 34 for manually rotating the turret between a first position, shown in phantom in FIG. 3, in which the inner tubes are loaded and unloaded, and a second position, shown in solid lines in FIG. 3, in which the flanging operation is performed. The turret 32 is held against rotation in the second or flanging position by means of a spring-loaded ball device 36 mounted in a bore 38 provided in the platform 30 and cooperating with a detent 40 in the lower surface of the turret 32.

A horizontal bore 50 extends through the turret 32 and an elongated sleeve 52 is slideably received within the bore 50. The sleeve 50 is adapted to slideably receive and hold a tube 24 within a large diameter portion 54, extending the major portion of the length of the sleeve, and dimensioned to provide a close, frictional fit with the exterior surface of the tube so that small amounts of torque applied to the tube will not cause rotation of the tube relative to the sleeve. In the flange-forming position of the turret 32, the bore 50, sleeve 52 and tube 24 are all concentric with a longitudinal reference axis 56 extending parallel to the platform 30.

One of the ends of the sleeve 52, which will be referred to as the forward end, is provided with an outwardlyprojecting rim 58 which comes into contact with the exterior surface of the turret 32 when the sleeve is drawn rearwardly. The other end of sleeve 52, that is, the rear end, is provided with a groove retaining a projecting snap ring 60. A coil spring 62, disposed about the rear portion of the sleeve 52 between the turret 32 and the snap ring 60, biases the sleeve rearwardly so that the rim 58 is normally maintained in contact with the turret. The spring 62 assures that the sleeve 52 will be in the most rearward or retracted position when the tube is loaded into the sleeve and the turret rotated into the flanging position and prevents interference between the applicator tube end and the flange-forming device to be described.

The rear portion of the sleeve includes a small diameter portion 64, defining with the large diameter portion 54 an annular shoulder 66 which limits the rearward mo tion of a cylindrical locating plug 68 slideably received within the sleeve. The plug 68 has a forwardly-facing recess 70 configured to conform to the profile of the reduced diameter forward section 26 of the tube 24. A rod 72 projecting rearwardly from the plug 68 protrudes from the sleeve 52 and permits the operator to manually advance the plug so as to eject each applicator tube after formation of the flange thereon. The plug 68, in cooperation with the shoulder 66, provides a locating surface to properly position the tube 24 longitudinally relative to the sleeve 52. When in place in the sleeve 52, the rear end of the tube 24 projects a small distance from the rim. In one practical example, this distance is typically about .047 or inch.

A flange-forming mechanism 80 is provided and includes an electric motor 82 mounted on the platform 30, the shaft 84 of the motor being directed toward the turret 32 and disposed concentrically with the longitudinal reference axis 56.

Mounted on the end of the motor shaft 84 for rotation therewith is a generally cylindrical roller head 86. The roller head 86 is recessed bilaterally to accommodate a pair of rollers 88 mounted on an axle 90 carried by the head 86 for idle rotation about an axis 92 perpendicular to and intersecting the longitudinal reference axis 56. The rollers 88 are laterally spaced so that a central portion of the outer arcuate surfaces of the rollers will come into contact with diametrically opposed portions of the tube end to be flanged. The rollers 88 are in the form of right circular cylinders and may simply comprise ball bearings held in place on the axle 90 by retainer rings 94.

In the operation of the device of FIGS. 2-4, the turret 32 is manually swiveled to the first position in which a tube 24 is slipped into the sleeve 52. The tube is pushed rearwardly until the reduced diameter section 26 seats within the recess 70 in the locating plug 68 and the plug, in turn, comes into contact with the shoulder 66. The inside diameter of the portion 54 of the sleeve 52 is dimensioned for a light frictional fit with the exterior surface of the tube 24 so that a small amount of resistance is encountered when sliding the tube into the sleeve; the resistance is sufficient, however, to maintain the tube stationary relative to the sleeve during the flange-forming operation. 7

Next, the turret 32 is pivoted to the flange-forming position which will be indicated to the operator when the spring-loaded ball of the device36 snaps into the detent 40 in the turret.

With the motor turned on and the roller head 86 spinning about the longitudinal reference axis 56, the operator pushes against the rear end of the sleeve 52 in opposition to the force of the coil spring 62 until the rear, projecting edge of the tube contacts the rollers at which point the rollers begin to spin about their common rotational axis 92. As the sleeve is advanced, the rear edge of the tube begins to fold over inwardly, the width of the flange becoming progressively greater. The operation is completed when the rollers come into contact with the rim 58 as shown in phantom in FIGS. 3 and 4. Upon completion of the flanging operation, the sleeve 52 is released, whereupon it is retracted by the spring 62, the turret is rotated back to the first position and the sleeve unloaded by advancing the rod 72 to eject the tube to an extent at which it can be removed by hand.

The flange 28 formed on the tube end lies substantially in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tube and has a slightly crimped appearance.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of an automatic machine for accomplishing the flanging operation just described The machine includes a cylindrical turret 100 which is 6 intermittently rotatable, as by a Geneva movement (not shown), in a manner well known to those skilled in the art, through three dwell stations, namely, a tube loading station, a tube flanging station and a tube unloading station.

The. turret is provided with three bores 102, 104 and 106, spaced 120 apart, each shaped and dimensioned to hold an inner applicator tube 24 in a light, frictional fit so that the tube will remain stationary within the bore during the flange-forming operation. The curved outer surface of the turret 100 is provided with flats 103, and 112 about the bores 102, 104 and 106, respectively.

A motor 114, having a shaft 115, is secured to a carriage 116 mounted for reciprocation on guide rods 118 carried by a fixed base 120. Reciprocation of the carriage 116 is effected by a hydraulic cylinder and piston actuator 122 having a piston rod 124 projecting therefrom and suitably attached to the carriage 116, Fluid under pressure is admitted into one end or the other of the actuator 122 via fluid lines 126 and suitable four-way valving (not shown) to cause reciprocation of the carriage 116 in timed relation with the rotation of the turret 100 so that the carriage is advanced toward the turret during each dwell period. The motor shaft carries a head and roller assembly 128 substantially identical to that described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4. I

In the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 5, a tube is automatically loaded, by suitable tube transporting ap paratus, ;int0 one of the turret bores 102, 104 or 106 at the tube loading station during a dwell period. The turret 100 is then indexed until the longitudinal axis of the tube coincides with the longitudinal rotational axis of the roller head assembly 128 and the motor shaft 115. The carriage 116 is advanced by the actuator 122 until the rollers engage the end of the tube to begin the flanging operation. The operation continues until the rollers contact the flat 108, 110 or 112 surrounding the tube bore at which time the carriage is retracted and the turret indexed 120. The flanged tube is now at the unloading station where the tube is unloaded by appropriate means, for example, a pneumatic ejection system (not shown).

While there have been described above and illustrated in the drawings apparatus and methods for forming flanges on the ends of inner hygienic medium applicator tubes, it will be appreciated that a number of other modifications and alternative arrangements are possible. Accordingly, the invention should be considered to include all modifications, variations and alternative forms falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming an inwardly-projecting flange on the end of a thin-walled, laminated paper tube, comprising the steps of:

supporting the tube solely about its exterior surface;

and,

exerting a force against the edge of the tube solely in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube while continuously translating the locus of force application along the edge of said tube end causing the end of the tube to fold inwardly and continuing said force application and translation until a flange of the desired width is formed.

2. An apparatus for forming an inwardly-directed flange on the end of a thin-walled, laminated, paper, hygienic medium applicator tube comprising:

means for holding said tube solely about the exterior surface thereof;

flange-forming means, including roller means having an outer cylindrical surface for engaging the edge of said tube end and directing a force vector against said edge solely in parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the tube; and,

means coupled to rotate said flange-forming means to 7 translate said force vector along said tube edge whereby said tube end folds inwardly to form said flange.

3. Apparatus, as defined in claim 2, in which:

said tube holding means comprises a sleeve dimensioned for a light, frictional fit with the exterior surface of the tube and means Within said sleeve for locating said tube longitudinally relative to said sleeve, where by the portion of said tube to be flanged projects from said sleeve.

4. An apparatus for forming an inwardly-directed flange on the rear end of a thin-walled, laminated, paper, hygienic medium applicator tube the forward end of which tube includes a shaped, reduced diameter section, said apparatus comprising:

means for holding said tube concentric with a first axis, the rear end of said tube projecting from said holding means a given distance determinative of the width of the flange to be formed;

a pair of spaced, right circular cylinder idler rollers, symmetrically disposed on either side of said first axis and mounted for rotation about a second axis perpendicular to and intersecting the first axis;

means for carrying said rollers;

means coupled to said roller carrying means for rotating said carrying means about said first axis; and,

means for moving said roller carrying means and said tube holding means relative to one another along said first axis for bringing the outer cylindrical surface of said rollers into contact with diametrically opposed places on said rear tube edge and exerting a force against said tube edge substantially solely in a direction parallel with said first axis whereby said tube end folds inwardly to form said flange.

5. Apparatus, as defined in claim 4, in which:

said means for holding said tube includes turret means provided with a plurality of bores for receiving said tubes, said turret means being mounted for intermittent rotation through a series of dwell stations, including a tube loading station, a tube flanging station at which the bore is disposed concentric with said first axis, and a tube unloading station.

6. An apparatus for forming an inwardly-projecting flange on the rear end of a thin-walled, laminated, paper, hygienic medium applicator tube, comprising:

a sleeve for holding said tube and having a rim at one end thereof and including means for positioning said tube longitudinally Within said sleeve whereby the tube end to be flanged is adapted to project from an end of said sleeve a distance determinative of the 'width of the desired flange, said sleeve having an inside diameter dimensioned to slideably receive said tube in a snug fit so that relative rotation between said sleeve and said tube is resisted, said tube being supported by said sleeve solely about its exterior surface;

movable support means, including a bore for slideably receiving said sleeve;

biasing means operatively associated with said sleeve for urging the rim of said sleeve into contact with said support means;

means operatively associated with said support means for moving said support means at least between tube loading, tube flanging, and tube unloading positions;

pair of spaced right circular cylinder idler rollers symmetrically disposed on either side of the longitudinal axis of the tube in the tube flanging position and mounted for rotation about an axis perpendicular to and intersecting said tube axis in the tube flanging position;

means rotatably mounting said rollers;

means for rotating said roller mounting means; and,

means for moving said sleeve toward said rollers to bring the outer cylindrical surface of said rollers into contact with the rear edge of the tube at diametrically opposed places to thereby exert forces against said tube end substantially solely in the direction parallel with said tube axis whereby the tube end is caused to fold inwardly to form the flange.

7. Apparatus, as defined in claim 6, which includes:

means disposed Within saidsleeve for ejecting the tube from said sleeve.

8. A method of forming an inwardly-projecting flange on an end of a thin-walled, laminated paper tube, comprising the steps of:

flange on an end of a thin-walled, laminated, paper,

hygienic medium applicator tube comprising:

means for holding said tube;

flange-forming means, including roller means having an outer cylindrical surface for engaging the edge of said tube end and directing a force vector against said edge solely in parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the tube; and

means coupled to rotate said flange-forming means to translate said force vector along said tube edge whereby said tube end folds inwardly to form said flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,058,523 4/1913 Auchu 9336.8 2,916,975 12/1959 Gasior et al 9355.1

BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

